Jump to content

Deep Midfield Issues



Recommended Posts

Our midfield is not 15 goals worse than Freos…

That was a whole team debacle. I don’t think we are that good this year. We lost depth, we are changing how we play in the defensive half when we have the ball, we still don’t have a reliable tall, our best midfielder was absent for preseason, some core players are out of form, and we spent the last two years trying to eke out another ‘prelim or better’ performance through dour dumping of the ball to protect the mids (2022) and focussing entirely on a front half game where we were dominated ‘territory’ except in crucial moments (2023).

We are rectifying some past mistakes with our onfield style of play and I hope we can rebalance our list and plug some easily foreseeable gaps.

For me, 2025 is a better show but we are running out of time.

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, kozzyisalegend said:

Fyfe is cooked

Brayshaw, serong are both gun players

We had the chance to draft young but elected to pick a WA boy who checked out half way through his stint at Melbourne

I don't understand why Goodwin let harmes Jordan and Grundy walk. Having those 3 in our squad now would be a big help

They were happy to see Harmes go. Grundy too. Different reasons at play. 
JJ left for $$$

Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 minutes ago, JJJ said:

They were happy to see Harmes go. Grundy too. Different reasons at play. 
JJ left for $$$

The way JJ was used with us, it would be reasonable to think his career was hanging by a thread. I’d be concerned if he didn’t take the dollars.

 

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

28 minutes ago, rpfc said:

Our midfield is not 15 goals worse than Freos…

That was a whole team debacle. I don’t think we are that good this year. We lost depth, we are changing how we play in the defensive half when we have the ball, we still don’t have a reliable tall, our best midfielder was absent for preseason, some core players are out of form, and we spent the last two years trying to eke out another ‘prelim or better’ performance through dour dumping of the ball to protect the mids (2022) and focussing entirely on a front half game where we were dominated ‘territory’ except in crucial moments (2023).

We are rectifying some past mistakes with our onfield style of play and I hope we can rebalance our list and plug some easily foreseeable gaps.

For me, 2025 is a better show but we are running out of time.

Sorry rpfc but I beg to differ a bit here. Maybe not 15 goals but maybe 10. Way back in 21 our midfield was young, quick and damaging plus the X factor in Jacko. Whilst they are still Ok other teams with young guns like Freo are just running past our guys and making our guys look slow and silly. Look at who went through their midfield today. Brayshaw, Serong, Jacko, Darcy, Clark (mainly Def but wandered through the mid), Fyfe (not so young), O'Meara, Sharp, Switkowski & Young. Have a VERY close look at these guys compared to what we dished up today. Chalk and Cheese.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, kozzyisalegend said:

I'm just surprise the club opted for a project tall who will take a few years rather than a ready made mid who can play day dot and contribute to our midfield depth which is clearly lacking

Which mid would that be ? Pray tell. 

  • Like 2
  • Clap 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

58 minutes ago, rpfc said:

Our midfield is not 15 goals worse than Freos…

That was a whole team debacle. I don’t think we are that good this year. We lost depth, we are changing how we play in the defensive half when we have the ball, we still don’t have a reliable tall, our best midfielder was absent for preseason, some core players are out of form, and we spent the last two years trying to eke out another ‘prelim or better’ performance through dour dumping of the ball to protect the mids (2022) and focussing entirely on a front half game where we were dominated ‘territory’ except in crucial moments (2023).

We are rectifying some past mistakes with our onfield style of play and I hope we can rebalance our list and plug some easily foreseeable gaps.

For me, 2025 is a better show but we are running out of time.

I think a lot of what you said - is making excuses. But Freo did similar a couple years back. We play chaos football, and heavily rely on momentum. Longmuir simply deconstructs that, takes away our strength, and leaves us standing there with our pants down. Which is, our midfield do not defend, we don’t spread, man up, or play zone. The only bloke out there I saw today with half a clue, was Petracca, when he was imploring teammates to press up. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

59 minutes ago, rpfc said:

Our midfield is not 15 goals worse than Freos…

That was a whole team debacle. I don’t think we are that good this year. We lost depth, we are changing how we play in the defensive half when we have the ball, we still don’t have a reliable tall, our best midfielder was absent for preseason, some core players are out of form, and we spent the last two years trying to eke out another ‘prelim or better’ performance through dour dumping of the ball to protect the mids (2022) and focussing entirely on a front half game where we were dominated ‘territory’ except in crucial moments (2023).

We are rectifying some past mistakes with our onfield style of play and I hope we can rebalance our list and plug some easily foreseeable gaps.

For me, 2025 is a better show but we are running out of time.

Our midfield depth is a major concern

If you watched Casey you’d agree we have nobody looking remotely likely to make it as an AFL midfielder coming through. 

Viney appears injured 

Trac is a gun but is needed in our F50 because we have a pretty weak forward line with the exception probably being Fritta and Pickett (sometimes) 

Sparrow looks like a player but produces little

Oliver - disposal by hand is usually good - disposal by foot is comical 

ANB - not an AFL midfielder imo he is a good pressure small forward 

Pickett - see ANB 

Max - a one man ruck band - unsustainable in all respects. JVR is not terrible as a backup but he’s supposed to be our big KPF. Our rucking depth is frankly non existent 

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites


4 minutes ago, Sydee said:

Our midfield depth is a major concern

If you watched Casey you’d agree we have nobody looking remotely likely to make it as an AFL midfielder coming through. 

Viney appears injured 

Trac is a gun but is needed in our F50 because we have a pretty weak forward line with the exception probably being Fritta and Pickett (sometimes) 

Sparrow looks like a player but produces little

Oliver - disposal by hand is usually good - disposal by foot is comical 

ANB - not an AFL midfielder imo he is a good pressure small forward 

Pickett - see ANB 

Max - a one man ruck band - unsustainable in all respects. JVR is not terrible as a backup but he’s supposed to be our big KPF. Our rucking depth is frankly non existent 

I don’t think we are lacking depth in our midfield. We have players who could run through there - who we don’t run through there. Rivers looks a likely candidate. McVee could be effective. ANB is a liability as a midfielder. We have too many of a similar type, and no one like Liam Baker - who is great by foot. We have bulls, but no polish. Unfortunately for us, even if they have polish, we have no forwards. Petty is a promising key back, Turner is an experiment gone wrong, who could be a promising key back, BBB is cooked, JVR is a target, and was missed today, but is unproven. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, KingDingAling said:

I don’t think we are lacking depth in our midfield. We have players who could run through there - who we don’t run through there. Rivers looks a likely candidate. McVee could be effective. ANB is a liability as a midfielder. We have too many of a similar type, and no one like Liam Baker - who is great by foot. We have bulls, but no polish. Unfortunately for us, even if they have polish, we have no forwards. Petty is a promising key back, Turner is an experiment gone wrong, who could be a promising key back, BBB is cooked, JVR is a target, and was missed today, but is unproven. 

Throwing HBFs into the midfield doesn’t mean they will be successful in that role and then who replaces them at HB ? Howes doesn’t deserve a recall he butchered the ball time and time again this weekend at Coburg and it seems the coaching group don’t think AMW has what it takes 

Our list is overrated imo - we have quite a few who don’t look that hungry and seem happy to take their paycheck and just show up when it suits 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, JJJ said:

They were happy to see Harmes go. Grundy too. Different reasons at play. 
JJ left for $$$

and replace them with….??

(Harmes was a different situation) but the other 2 I think the Club handled badly. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, kozzyisalegend said:

Fyfe is cooked

Brayshaw, serong are both gun players

We had the chance to draft young but elected to pick a WA boy who checked out half way through his stint at Melbourne

I don't understand why Goodwin let harmes Jordan and Grundy walk. Having those 3 in our squad now would be a big help

Grundy wanted out when Gawn wouldn’t let him have the number one ruck spot so that was just bad judgment by the club thinking they could play together.

Harmes could barely get a game last year and was clearly trending backwards and we drafted Windsor who had taken Jordan’s spot.

Brayshaw is the one that hurts and would have allowed more flexibility round the midfield mix without robbing the backline between him Rivers and Salem.

With Oliver having the preseason he did it’s no surprise he’s gone backwards and Viney been the wrong side of 30 it’s not surprising his output has dropped

If you look at most teams it’s rare they stay up more than 3 years in a row so think this step backwards was inevitable 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 hours ago, 1858 said:

It has been an issue for some time.

It is really coming home to roost now though.

12 months ago I said we were heading for a midfield cliff and got laughed at.

Now, James Jordon is no superstar, but he was at least a genuine developing midfielder. Im not suggesting he would have been a major difference for us but it's the mindset of our football brains trust that is the issue.

What in god's name was going through their mind in letting him go. Could they not see our ageing, one paced midfield needed all the help it could get going forward?

Pickett was severely under utilised in the guts last season to mix it up. Used only occasionally this year in light of Brayshaw.

Goodwin continually blind to the elephant in the room.

Wasnt JJ a free agent?

The timing of Angus’ retirement really hurt us - as I recall it was after trades and after draft day. So no possible replacement. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

29 minutes ago, monoccular said:

Wasnt JJ a free agent?

The timing of Angus’ retirement really hurt us - as I recall it was after trades and after draft day. So no possible replacement. 

from memory it was about a month opening round

shocking timing

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

58 minutes ago, Sir Why You Little said:

and replace them with….??

(Harmes was a different situation) but the other 2 I think the Club handled badly. 

Who they replaced them with wasn’t my point. 
 

I’ve mentioned this before but we had a crack at Harry McKay last off season.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

19 minutes ago, JJJ said:

Who they replaced them with wasn’t my point. 
 

I’ve mentioned this before but we had a crack at Harry McKay last off season.

Yes i know. Other Clubs can make those big trades come off. We just cannot crack it 

Link to comment
Share on other sites


1 hour ago, monoccular said:

Wasnt JJ a free agent?

The timing of Angus’ retirement really hurt us - as I recall it was after trades and after draft day. So no possible replacement. 

Yeah he walked.

From the outside looking in it doesn't seem like we did much to keep him though.

To think he is getting game time in Sydney's midfield, of all teams - kind of puts it into perspective.

Gus hurts but irrespective our midfield stocks are way too thin going forward IMO.

To my mind it is a biproduct of Gawn  Trac, Oliver being so dominant at the CB in years gone by and a football ideology which simply doesn't value quick transition between the arcs.

Listening to Nathan Brown (who I rate as a good football brain and impartial) on MMM he suggested McVee to the midfield. Not the worst suggestion I've heard.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, rpfc said:

Our midfield is not 15 goals worse than Freos…

That was a whole team debacle. I don’t think we are that good this year. We lost depth, we are changing how we play in the defensive half when we have the ball, we still don’t have a reliable tall, our best midfielder was absent for preseason, some core players are out of form, and we spent the last two years trying to eke out another ‘prelim or better’ performance through dour dumping of the ball to protect the mids (2022) and focussing entirely on a front half game where we were dominated ‘territory’ except in crucial moments (2023).

We are rectifying some past mistakes with our onfield style of play and I hope we can rebalance our list and plug some easily foreseeable gaps.

For me, 2025 is a better show but we are running out of time.

I’d go a bit more and set up for a longer stint of success. Mini rebuild for me. 2-3 top 20 draft picks, one of LDU, McCluggage  (both would be awesome) and to reinforce our midfield. 

Id trade a few players too - Oliver and Petty would definitely get us at least 2 possibly 3 Round 1 picks. 

Sounds a bit over reactionary but this list cannot play the modern football style. It was built a decade ago by Roos and co in a style that has now changed and we didn’t.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

People go on about cripps and daicos, but you know what they give there team, consistency each week. 

Oliver isn't what he was & I think his lack of pressure season is catching up with him, sparrow isn't performing as well & trac when he's on he plays like the number 1 player in the comp but he doesn't do it consistently.  

Talent is being wasted here

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, dees189227 said:

People go on about cripps and daicos, but you know what they give there team, consistency each week. 

Oliver isn't what he was & I think his lack of pressure season is catching up with him, sparrow isn't performing as well & trac when he's on he plays like the number 1 player in the comp but he doesn't do it consistently.  

Talent is being wasted here

That big bodied midfielder who can win you a clearance when the game is on the line is key and it really shows how much of a game changer it is when you see the drop off we're seeing with Oliver. Having what he gave us at the top of his game was a multiplier effect. 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Would love to see Taj given a run in the middle and Rivers as a defensive Mid. Viney is in such bad form he was almost standing on Maxys foot at every centre bounce and got torched on the spread. Oliver isn’t working hard enough so should go back to VFL in my eyes. Sparrow is a lost cause. Bowey over time could play midfield, but we need some big bodies in there at the moment. Cupboard is empty 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Cant keep reflecting on past decisions, no doubt some decisions look incorrect in hindsight.  The key now is recruiting real FA talent and trading in the right players, not top up.  I know every club is trying to do that however if we dont win well in October with trades and signings, 2025 will be another disappointing year

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Demonland Forums  

  • Match Previews, Reports & Articles  

    LIVE AND LET DIE by Meggs

    The Demons’ impressive late season charge to finals will most likely come unstuck this Saturday evening when the Bombers blow up the also-ran Blues in the Ikon Park double-header.   To mangle McCartney, what does it matter to ya? To have any chance to play next week Narrm has got a job to do and needs to do it well.  We’ve got to give the Pie sheilas hell, say live and let die! It’s Indigenous Round for this game and the chance to celebrate and engage with Aboriginal and Torres

    Demonland
    Demonland |
    AFLW Melbourne Demons

    2024 Player Reviews: #32 Tom Sparrow

    Had to shoulder more responsibility as the club’s injury concerns deepened but needs to step up more as he closes in on 100 games. Date of Birth: 31 May 2000 Height: 186cm Games MFC 2024: 21 Career Total: 95 Goals MFC 2024: 6 Career Total: 34 Games CDFC: 1 Goals CDFL: 0

    Demonland
    Demonland |
    Melbourne Demons 18

    2024 Player Reviews: #35 Harry Petty

    Failed to fulfill the promise of his breakout six goal effort against the Tigers in 2023 and was generally disappointing as a key forward. It remains to be seen whether Simon Goodwin will persevere with him in attack or return him to the backline where he was an important cog in the club’s 2021 premiership success. Date of Birth: 12 November 1999 Height: 197cm Games MFC 2024: 20 Career Total: 82 Goals MFC 2024: 9 Career Total: 28 Brownlow Medal Votes 3

    Demonland
    Demonland |
    Melbourne Demons 14

    2024 Player Reviews: #22 Blake Howes

    After a bright start to the season, playing mostly in defence, Howes seemed to lose his way in midseason but fought back with some good performances at Casey and finished the year back at AFL level. One to watch in 2024. Date of Birth: 7 March 2003 Height: 191cm Games MFC 2024: 15 Career Total:  15 Goals MFC 2024: 0 Career Total:  0 Games CDFC 2024: 6 Goals CDFC 2024: 0

    Demonland
    Demonland |
    Melbourne Demons 5

    2024 Player Reviews: #33 Tom Fullarton

    Originally an NBL basketballer with the Brisbane Bullets, he moved across town in 2019 to the AFL Lions where he played 19 games before crossing to Melbourne where he was expected to fill a role as a back up ruckman/key forward. Unfortunately, didn’t quite get there although he did finish equal sixth in Casey’s best and fairest award. Date of Birth: 23 February 1999 Height: 198cm Games CDFC: 14 Goals CDFL: 13

    Demonland
    Demonland |
    Melbourne Demons 5

    2024 Player Reviews: #10 Angus Brayshaw

    Sadly, had to wrap up a great career in midstream on the back of multiple concussions which culminated in the Maynard hit in the 2023 Qualifying Final. His loss to the club was inestimable over and above his on field talent given his character and leadership qualities, all of which have been sorely missed. Date of Birth: 9 January 1996 Height: 188cm Games MFC 2024: 0 Career Total: 167 Goals MFC 2024: 0 Career Total: 49

    Demonland
    Demonland |
    Melbourne Demons 8

    2024 Player Reviews: #40 Taj Woewodin

    The son of former Demon Brownlow Medalist Shane, Taj added a further 16 games to his overall tally of games but a number were as substitute. He is slowly fitting into the team structure but without doing anything spectacular and needs to take further steps forward in 2025 for his career to progress. Date of Birth: 26 March 2003 Height: 182cm Games MFC 2024: 16 Career Total: 20 Goals MFC 2024: 1 Career Total: 3 Games CDFC 2024: 6 Goals CDFC 2024: 1

    Demonland
    Demonland |
    Melbourne Demons 5

    2024 Player Reviews: #16 Bailey Laurie

    The clever small was unable to cement a place in the Melbourne midfield and spent most of his time this year with the Casey Demons where he finished equal fourth in its best & fairest. Date of Birth: 24 March 2002 Height: 179cm Games MFC 2024: 6 Career Total: 11 Goals MFC 2024: 2 Career Total: 2 Games CDFC 2024: 12 Goals CDFC 2024: 7

    Demonland
    Demonland |
    Melbourne Demons 23

    2024 Player Reviews: #17 Jake Bowey

    Bowey’s season was curtailed early when he sustained a shoulder injury that required surgery in the opening game against Sydney. As a consequence, he was never able to perform consistently or at anywhere near his previous levels.  Date of Birth: 12 September 2002 Height: 175cm Games MFC 2024: 14 Career Total: 61 Goals MFC 2024: 0 Career Total: 6

    Demonland
    Demonland |
    Melbourne Demons 7
  • Tell a friend

    Love Demonland? Tell a friend!

×
×
  • Create New...